CVE-2025-22578 Overview
CVE-2025-22578 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the aazztech WP Cookie plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.0.0. It stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, classified as [CWE-79].
Exploitation requires an authenticated actor with high privileges and user interaction from the victim. The vulnerability has a changed scope, meaning an injected payload can affect components beyond the vulnerable plugin. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a limited level.
Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of users who interact with affected pages, enabling session theft and unauthorized actions in the WordPress administrative context.
Affected Products
- aazztech WP Cookie plugin for WordPress
- All versions through 1.0.0
- WordPress sites with the WP Cookie plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-01-07 - CVE-2025-22578 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-22578
Vulnerability Analysis
The WP Cookie plugin fails to properly sanitize or encode input before rendering it within generated web pages. An attacker who submits crafted payloads containing HTML or JavaScript can persist those payloads in plugin-managed data. When another user loads the affected page, the browser interprets the stored payload as executable script.
Because the scope is changed, injected script executing under the WordPress origin can access resources or trigger actions beyond the plugin's own boundary. This includes reading session cookies, issuing requests to WordPress REST endpoints, or manipulating the DOM of the administrative interface.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding in code paths that render user-controlled input. The plugin does not apply WordPress escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() before echoing values into HTML. Input sanitization on write with functions like sanitize_text_field() is also absent or incomplete.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network against WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin. The attacker requires high privileges, meaning an account capable of configuring plugin data. After storing the payload, the attacker waits for another privileged user, typically an administrator, to load a page where the tainted data is rendered.
The stored payload then executes in the victim's browser session. Refer to the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22578
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, javascript: URIs, or event handlers such as onerror and onload inside WP Cookie plugin configuration values stored in the WordPress database.
- Outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains shortly after loading pages rendered by the plugin.
- New or modified administrator accounts and altered plugin or theme files following administrator page views.
Detection Strategies
- Query the wp_options and plugin-specific tables for entries containing HTML tags, script constructs, or encoded payload patterns.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule set that flags XSS patterns in POST parameters targeting WP Cookie plugin endpoints.
- Correlate authenticated administrator sessions with anomalous JavaScript-driven API calls to /wp-json/ routes.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to record plugin setting changes, user role modifications, and file edits.
- Forward WordPress and web server logs to a central analytics platform for retention and correlation across sessions.
- Alert on Content Security Policy violation reports that indicate inline script execution originating from plugin-rendered pages.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22578
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the WP Cookie plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor.
- Rotate credentials and invalidate active sessions for all WordPress administrator accounts that may have viewed affected pages.
- Audit plugin-stored data and remove any entries containing script tags, event handlers, or encoded JavaScript payloads.
Patch Information
No patched version is identified in the available advisory data. The vulnerability affects WP Cookie through version 1.0.0 with no fixed release listed. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for updates.
Workarounds
- Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and enforce multi-factor authentication on all privileged WordPress accounts.
- Deploy a Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins.
- Place the WordPress site behind a web application firewall configured to block XSS payloads in request parameters.
# Configuration example: apply a restrictive Content Security Policy header in Apache
Header always set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'; frame-ancestors 'self'"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.